Technology Update: Investing in Minnesota's Innovation Future

The Steady March of Technology

Until my father was 19 years old, he and my grandfather still farmed using horses. Born in 1897, my grandfather used to tell my father, "These new tractors coming out are going to wreck farming." I love my grandfather, but needless to say, the tractor did not wreck farming. Instead, it opened up a whole realm of possibilities — saving farmers from backbreaking labor and bolstering America's food supply to keep up with our population growth.

I tell this story because we are still at the beginning stage of an artificial intelligence revolution that is going to again change the ways in which we interact with the world. My grandfather ultimately did switch to tractors. Similarly, in Minnesota, we need to enact legislation that allows us to adapt to new technologies.

Information Technology Funding Bill

Last week, Winona County's computer systems were infected with ransomware, and the hackers held sensitive data hostage. To his credit, Governor Walz deployed the Minnesota National Guard Cyber Protection Team to help mitigate the damage from the attack.

Furthermore, the 1980s-era MAXIS computer systems that Minnesota's state and county administrators use to determine eligibility for public assistance programs are woefully outdated, and partly contributed to our fraud epidemic getting so out of hand.

This session, House Republicans have been advocating for several pieces of information technology legislation that will help to modernize Minnesota's aging infrastructure:

• HF4808: Establishes the Technology Obsolescence Reduction Keystone (TORK) account to modernize outdated state and local government IT systems.
• HF1911: Appropriates funds for fiscal year 2026 to support county-level service delivery transformation and information technology modernization within human services.
• HF4523: Establishes a systems modernization pilot project advisory group to fund technological updates for state human services, aiming to improve efficiency, strengthen program integrity, and reduce error rates in legacy systems like MAXIS, PRISM, and MMIS. Focuses on implementing artificial intelligence, automated data verification, and user interface improvements.

These new systems are costly. However, the upfront expense pales in comparison to the amount of revenue we have lost to preventable fraud as the result of outdated programs. I will be advocating for these bills, and I look forward to updating you on their progress.

Investing in Minnesota's Autonomous Future

One of the most exciting opportunities on the horizon for Minnesota's transportation future is the legalization of autonomous vehicles (AVs).

Working closely alongside MnDOT officials and industry groups studying successful AV rollout operations in other states, House Republicans this session introduced HF3513. This is a bill to legalize autonomous vehicles in Minnesota based upon five pillars: Safety, Efficiency, Accessibility, Economy, and Trust.

I am a co-author on this bill, and I was frustrated to see it blocked in the Transportation Committee by DFL legislators who were more concerned with carrying out the priorities of special interest donor groups than ensuring Minnesota's transportation landscape continues to evolve. 

Change always brings apprehension, but AVs have already been proven to have fewer crash incidents than human drivers, and will certainly play a big role in reducing fatalities from drinking and driving. They also have vast potential to minimize our dependence on infrastructure projects like light rail, which have huge sunk costs and destroy the walkability of our cities and towns.

I will continue to press for the passage of HF3513, as AVs are not only coming — they are already here. It is our responsibility as legislators to embrace this reality and lead Minnesota into an autonomous future.

Technological innovation is what has allowed America to become the greatest country that the world has ever known. Adapting to the tractor allowed my grandfather's farm to thrive (and I am proud to say that it is still operated by our family to this day). I consider it my duty at the State House to craft legislation that allows Minnesota's economy to continue to thrive as well.

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